Get Ready for Craft Fairs Part One

There are a few seasons where craft fairs are more popular, and the fall is one of the biggest ones. Everybody is gearing up for Christmas and starting their shopping. And what’s better than a handmade gift?

If you sell at craft fairs, or you’re thinking about having your first booth, this will be a great post for you. This post is filled with free patterns from lots of great designers for things that will sell in your booths this fall. I’ve separated it into categories to make it easier to find the things you want to make.

If you’re doing your first craft fair, here are a couple of tips:

Be sure to have plenty of stock on hand. You don’t want to run out of products before the craft fair is over.

Make some items in multiple sizes so you’re sure to have the perfect fit for your customers.

Don’t overcrowd your table. Keep extra stock in boxes or tubs under the table to replenish as people purchase items.

Don’t undercrowd your table either. Make sure you fill your table. Bring boxes or crates to put items on that will give your table layers. Lay hats directly on the table, or hang them up on the side, but bring a couple of mannequin heads to put your more popular hats on so that people can see what they look like.

Make sure you have business cards to include with purchases, or to hand out to people who are interested in purchasing custom work.

If you can, print up photos of your items and put them in a book on the table. It gives people an idea of other things you can make, and if you sell out of a certain product then they’ll still be able to see it and order it for you to make later.

Now on to the patterns. First up is hats. With winter approaching, crocheted hats are wildly popular at craft fairs. There are tons of free crochet hat patterns online, but here are 4 of my favorites.

Last year, messy bun hats were all the rage. I have a feeling they’ll be just as popular this year. With so many new designs created last year, there are plenty to choose from. Here are 4 of my favorite free ones.

Making full hat and scarf sets might be a bit much, but they’re such a great gift for people to give for Christmas that it’s beneficial to have a few of them on hand. Here are 4 of my favorite free patterns, including one of mine.

Another quick item to make for craft fairs are ear warmers. Some people really prefer them because they don’t mess up their hair as much as a hat does, but they help keep their ears from getting too cold in the winter. Here are 4 free patterns.

Don’t forget to include some fun hats for the kids. (And make some in adult sizes too, because these type of novelty hats are popular with adults as well.) These type of hats were always my biggest sellers. Here are 6 fun free ones, including one of mine.

That’s all for the crochet wearables. Next week, I’ll give you some patterns of other popular things to sell at craft fairs. Do you do booths at craft fairs? What are your biggest sellers? Head on over to my Facebook page and tell me about it.